Elba Lodge #170 AF & AM - Elba, AL
Posted by: 
hoteltwo
N 31° 24.819 W 086° 04.013
16R E 588695 N 3475822
Located at the intersection of Claxton Ave & E. Davis Street, this marker describes the formation of the oldest Masonic Lodge in Alabama. Now located in a different part of the city, the Lodge continues to support the community.
Waymark Code: WM13WBG
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 02/28/2021
Views: 2
Marker text:
Front
150 yards south of this site, John B. Simmons built the first Masonic Hall in Coffee County. On December 17, 1851, the Grand Lodge of Alabama issued a dispensation to nine Coffee County men to form a lodge in the town of Bentonville to be known as Elba Lodge #170. At the first meeting, held on Friday, February 13, 1852, a committee was appointed to obtain property for the use of the lodge. The hall was a two-story building used for Masonic business. The first person to become a Master Mason in Elba Lodge #170 was William George Washington Harper on April 24, 1852. Elba's first public school used the lower floor beginning in 1855.
Rear
Thirteen members were present for the election and installation of officers on Friday, February 13, 1852. Those elected were:
William W. Simmons, Worshipful Master
Alfred McGee, Senior Warden
William F. Beard, Junior Warden
James Claxton, Secretary
John Harper, Treasurer
Paul Smith, Senior Deacon
Pierre Darcy Costello, Junior Deacon
Micajah Harper, Senior Steward
Irwin Rogers, Junior Steward
William J. Spurlin, Tiler.
Charter members in addition to those elected were James D. McLean, James M. Tullis, and John B. Simmons.
Marker Name: Elba Lodge #170 AF & AM
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
Erected by the Alabama Historical Association.
Elba Mason Lodge #170 is the oldest lodge in Alabama and one of the oldest continuing lodges in the nation. Prior to the Civil War, the Free Masons played an integral role in forming the City of Elba and its school system.
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2021
Marker Number: N/A
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